Southern Pacific Watersheds

A park ranger overlooks the cloud forests of El Triunfo
© Lisa Monzón/The Nature Conservancy

In the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, a network of 14 major rivers drains the forested uplands of the La Sepultura and El Triunfo Biosphere Reserves into the coastal wetlands, including the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve. The diverse cloud forests absorb rain and replenish the streams and rivers that funnel water to communities and cropland below.

Location
The three Biosphere Reserves cover an area of more than one million acres wedged between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range and the Pacific coast.

Animals
More than 80 mammal species and 50 reptile species have been recorded here. Among them are:

Jaguar
Tapir
Puma
Spider monkey
Anteater
River crocodile

Plants
Scientists estimate up to 30,000 species of plants in this region of southern Mexico—of the 22,000 known species, 2,000 are flowering.

Birds
Cloud forests of the higher altitudes are home to an amazing diversity of bird species. Coastal plain wetlands provide critical wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl, pelicans, wading birds and shore birds. Among the more than 370 species include:

Roseate spoonbill
American wood stork
Chestnut-bellied heron
Azure-rumped tanager
Horned guan
Resplendent quetzal
Emerald toucanet
Giant wren

The coastal wetlands of La Encrijada form one of the largest marine fishery spawning areas on Mexico's Pacific coast.
© Alejandro Hernández/The Nature Conservancy

Why the Conservancy works here
Because the mountainous areas of Chiapas are located in a transition zone between the Neoarctic and Neotropical regions, the area's flora and fauna are enriched by the northernmost and southernmost range extensions of many species. The area has also been identified as a "Pleistocene Refuge," where numerous species survived the climate changes and extinctions of the last ice age. As a result, these areas serve as a last refuge for dozens of endemic, rare and endangered species of plants and animals. These protected areas form an enormous watershed-wetland system and capture and regulate water quality for dozens of rivers and the coastal wetlands.

Expansion of agriculture and ranching in Chiapas has resulted in deforestation and fragmentation of remaining forest. Inappropriate agricultural and ranching techniques, combined with decreasing forest cover and road construction has increased the rate of soil erosion. As a result, soil erosion and the channeling of rivers and dam building impede the natural flow of rivers and obstruct estuaries, lagoons and mangrove forests downstream.

What the Conservancy is doing
Within Chiapas, the Conservancy focuses its work on two neighboring centers of biological diversity, the forested uplands of La Sepultura and El Triunfo, and the coastal wetlands of La Encrucijada. Primary partners in the region include Pronatura Chiapas, Instituto de Historia Natural y Ecologia, the National Commission for Protected Areas and Espacios Naturales y Desarrollo Sustentables, A.C.

El Triunfo/La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserves: With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Conservancy is currently developing an integrated model for watershed conservation within El Triunfo and La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserves, including the inhabited area between them. Project goals include: protecting and restoring the key ecological values of the region; transforming productive activities to increase benefits to local communities, while mitigating threats to biodiversity; and creating institutional and community capacity for long-term protection.

La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve: In collaboration with partners and local stakeholders, the Conservancy recently completed an assessment of La Sepultura, in order to fully develop a common vision for promoting sustainable resource use, restoration and conservation of its watersheds. An integrated fire management plan is also being developed to protect the reserve’s pristine forests.